Bluefish's Fulchino still productive, but knew it was time to retire

Rich Elliott

Updated 12:45 am, Friday, September 13, 2013

BRIDGEPORT -- Jeff Fulchino was not burned out. His love of baseball remains strong. His numbers this season as the closer for the Bridgeport Bluefish offered concrete proof that he can still pitch at an elite level.

Fulchino, 33, simply reached the point in his career that virtually every professional athlete tries to fend off as long as possible. The time had come for him to decide if playing baseball was the right path at this juncture in his life.

While he had success during an All-Star stint with the Bluefish, his surgically repaired right shoulder was not yet where he wanted it to be. He questioned whether he could still get major league hitters out, not just hitters in the independent Atlantic League or in the minor leagues. For that matter, he wondered if he would even be given another opportunity to return to a major league organization.

Fulchino could have continued playing for a number of years, waiting patiently to get signed. He could have played winter ball in an effort to further showcase his skills. But he did not want to play just to play. And in sitting down with his family last month, Fulchino was a realist. He knew the time had come to retire.

"It wasn't easy," Fulchino said. "Yes, I was able to pitch well and do well. But I'm not supporting my family by playing. You're not living off of your wages from independent ball. And I'm basically a semester short of my degree and classes start and it was just a matter of, `OK, if I'm going to do this, school is starting soon. What do I need to graduate? Can I register for classes?' All that kind of fell together."

Fulchino, a UConn product and Monroe resident, was making approximately $2,000 per month playing for the Bluefish. Also, he and his wife, Kerry, have three children: Connor, 5; Clare, 2; and Catherine, who was born Aug. 2.

Had Fulchino pursued a winter ball job, that would have meant more time away from his family. Instead, he is now taking four classes at UConn-Stamford. He plans to help with his son's fall baseball team and he will earn a bachelor's degree in general studies in December.

"I was very surprised," Bluefish manager Willie Upshaw said. "I was hoping that he'd finish the season as strong as he has pitched all year and maybe wait till spring training and try to get an invite somewhere. He was throwing so good."

"For me, he could've done the same thing, maybe with not as much success but with a lot of success, in the big leagues or in Triple A that he's doing here because he's a big-league pitcher," Upshaw said. "You don't have to throw 95, but his location, his downhill throwing the baseball and the way his ball moved made him a big-league pitcher."

Fulchino, who was drafted in the eighth round by the Marlins in 2001, was a combined 9-10 with a 4.84 ERA in 178ï»¿1/3 innings in the big leagues. He enjoyed his best season in 2009 with the Astros when he finished 6-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 82 innings.

Fulchino finished 1-1 with 13 saves and a 1.28 ERA in 34 appearances (35 innings) this season with the Bluefish. He had 36 strikeouts and eight walks, recorded a season-high scoreless innings streak of 19 and had an opponent's batting average of .189. His velocity was in the low 90s.

Fulchino will now focus on the next chapter of his life. He said he has long had an interest in real estate. His father owns a vineyard/winery in New Hampshire. He has also reached out to several people, UConn baseball coach Jim Penders in particular, about a career in coaching.

"In order for me to coach, you need your degree, at least to be a head coach," Fulchino said. "I want to at least give myself the opportunity to do that. I've made a career out of baseball. It's something that I could move into and I think be successful."

Fulchino moves forward without regret. He will miss the competition and the camaraderie with his teammates.

"My agent tried to talk me out of (retirement)," Fulchino said. "It's other things that don't really have much to do with baseball, like family and my health. My shoulder has really pushed me in that direction. I still want to play. It's just facing the realities of, `Am I going to get another shot?' So every baseball player, or for that matter every athlete, has to come to a decision at some point, because you can't play forever."